December 2015

Crunching the Blaine real estate market numbers at the year’s end is always interesting. We now have an almost 12-month trend to look at and we can clearly see what happened and where we might be headed in 2016. Of course, the Feds are talking about raising interest rates again throughout 2016 which will naturally change everything. But, let’s take a look at what happened last month in the Blaine real estate market and how we fared for 2015.

Remember, our local MLS releases its market statistics a month behind, so although these statistics are from November, 2015, they are considered the most recent numbers. We won’t have the full 12-month picture from 2015 until mid-January 2016.

New Listings in Blaine

Hey, Blaine homeowners – thanks for

So, it’ a new home you’re hoping for this holiday season? Since you aren’t likely to find it under the tree this week you’ll need to get out and do some serious shopping. Sure, it’s easier to find a home in spring and summer but buying a home in Blaine during the holidays isn’t impossible.

Competition is low

The winter months in Blaine don’t hold the volume of buyers that you’ll find in the spring and summer markets so you’ll have less competition for the homes that are for sale. Less competition means fewer multiple offer situations as well – more good news. This doesn’t mean, however, that you’ll get an amazing bargain on a home. Studies show that homes sold in the winter sell quicker and typically for more money than those sold during other

Although the holidays are consuming most of our attention we still have at least one ear out for the latest news from around Blaine. Read on to find out what’s happening.

Craft breweries in Blaine?

Hey who knows? This could turn into a cottage industry for our city. According to ABC Newspapers’ staff writer Eric Hagen, a group of investors got the city council’s nod to build a craft brewery with an attached taproom adjacent to the NSC. Maybe we should call it “half a nod,” since it’s not a done deal yet.

The group plans on using most of the 7,500-square-foot facility to craft their beers to sell to other businesses but there will be space set aside for a taproom and restaurant that seats up to 250 customers. Oh, and an outdoor patio too! We

There has been lots of fun news from Blaine and around the Twin Cities in the past couple of weeks. Since it’s Monday, and I think we can all use some fun to counteract that fact, let’s dive in.

Santa’s flight crew lives in St. Paul

We’ll bet you didn’t know that, but it’s true, at least according to Animal Planet. They have the video to prove it (and some pretty annoying ads as well). It’s the live reindeer cam feed direct from the Como Zoo in St. Paul. Unless they’re scratching their antlers against a tree they really aren’t all that exciting to watch but the kids might get a kick out of it.

Santa occasionally sneaks in to feed the crew and go over their flight itinerary so you and the kids can check out those live-feed visits on December